Oge Beach Trail

The Ofu unit of the National Park of American Samoa covers the southern shore of the island, and a walking route runs along it from the road end past the beach that has made the island's reputation: white sand backed by forest with Sunu'itao peak rising directly behind, and reef immediately offshore. Oge beach lies further along beneath the cliffs. Very few people are ever on it. The park unit on Ofu was added to protect exactly this stretch, and the reef in front of it has been studied for decades because its corals survive water temperatures that kill coral elsewhere.

The landscape

• The white sand - the beach the island is best known for, backed by forest.
• Sunu'itao peak - the rock rising directly behind the shore.
• The reef - coral immediately offshore, swum from the beach.
• The emptiness - a beach in a national park with almost nobody on it.

When to go

May to September is the drier season and calmest. Swell can make the shore route difficult. Sundays are strictly observed.

Practical notes

Reaching Ofu at all requires unreliable flights. There are no facilities on the beach or trail. Currents outside the reef are strong.

Nearby

Tumu Mountain is south, and Olosega is across the bridge.